Earl Lloyd Statue To Be Revealed In Alexandria

ALEXANDRIA, VA — The City of Alexandria will honor the late Earl Francis Lloyd, the NBA's first African American player in a game and an Alexandria resident, with a statue unveiling on April 3. The statue is located in the lobby of Charles Houston Recreation Center, the previous location of former Parker-Gray High School where Lloyd attended.

The April 3 ceremony to unveil the statue will happen on Lloyd's birthday. The virtual ceremony will be closed to the public and streamed live online. The public will be able to view the statue in the lobby of Charles Houston Recreation Center starting on April 5.

Born in Alexandria on April 3, 1928, Lloyd was raised on Montgomery Street and graduated from Parker-Gray High School in 1946. He secured a scholarship to West Virginia State College, where he became Black College All-American basketball player and led his team to two conference championships. After receiving a bachelor's degree in physical education in 1950, Lloyd was drafted by the Washington Capitols. He made history by becoming the first African American to play in an NBA game on Oct. 31, 1950.

The team folded after seven games, and Lloyd was drafted into the U.S. Army. He served during the Korean War and returned to basketball in 1952. He played in over 560 games over nine seasons before his 1960 retirement. In 1968, he also made history as the NBA’s first African American assistant coach for the Detroit Pistons and became the head coach for the 1971-1972 season. Lloyd was inducted into the Virginia Sports Hall of Fame in 1993; the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association Hall of Fame in 1998; the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in 2003; and the Michigan Sports Hall of Fame in 2012. He is also part of the Alexandria African American Hall of Fame. Lloyd died in 2015.

Last year, Alexandria City Council approved an honorary street name called "Earl Lloyd Way" in the 1000 block of Montgomery Street, the location of Lloyd's childhood home.